The quinoa sounds fantastic - but I'd need someone else to cook it up for me!

I am a little surprised that there hasn't really been metion on here about the soy controversy. Obviously being vegetarian or vegan is a personal choice, and there are many alternative recipes for people who don't want to eat meat. But I have been told by multiple physicians and my acupuncturist to never go near soy or tofu. I'm just a little surprised by the lack of well rounded and unbiased coverage on different foods and healthy lifestyles.

You can also cook the quinoa in a rice cooker. I always do this so I don't have to worry about screwing it up, which I have done a few times. Just use the same instructions as if you were making rice.

This sounds like a great cookbook, especially when entertaining vegetarian friends.

Is it a vegetarian or vegan cookbook? I'm confused.

Mmm that quinoa recipe sounds so good!

@#2, could you please elaborate why your doctors and acupuncturist advised you not to go near tofu?

@ #7: I have been told by phsycians/my acupuncturist that soy is awful for pregnant women (studies have found it can cause developmental deformities in the fetus)and that they believe parents giving soy instead of dairy to their young children is what is causing the surplus of allergies that have not been seen in earlier generations. Also, they have found it can increase the chances of breat cancer/tumors in women and brain damage in men and women, and thyroid disease in children. I am not a doctor, and am not saying that any of this is true. I was simply curious as to why some of these studies have never been mentioned on the site. I would be curious to hear more about it.

There is so much controversy in nutrition. Instead of taking everything that your doctor says as gold, I would instead do some research for yourself. One week soy is taboo, then the next it is a miracle food. It is also best to see who funds the studies that suggest soy is a taboo food.....the meat industry possibly? The Japanese culture has used soy-based foods for a very long time, and the Okinawa population in Japan is one of the longest lived populations with a very large population of Centenarians. Quite often doctors have little more information, if not less, about nutrition than the general public that takes an interest in nutrition. I would suggest you do not steer clear of soy-based foods altogether. However, I would suggest that you use them moderately and always chose organic products. The soy-based industry does pose a threat to the environment as this crop has become a huge monoculture crop that uses a lot of energy and pesticides.

Not to mention that non-organic soy-based products are GMO products. Not good for you or the environment. I think we can all agree these are best to steer away from.